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FarewellEtaoinShrdlu

Drinks and Dice · 259.6K views · 2016-07-14 · 28:46

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Overview

A documentary on the last day the New York Times was printed with linotype machines in 1978, following the process from the newsroom to the press. It marks the move to computerized typesetting.

On Hacker News

Frequently recommended as an absorbing look at hot-metal typesetting and the end of the linotype era.

Recommended by 6 HN people across 6 months · HN mentions 2017–2026

Topics

Graphic design & typographyDocumentaries & storytellingMedia, journalism & propaganda
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linotypenew york timesprinting historytypesettingnewspapers

What people said

avs733 · 2017-10 · Strong recommendation

If you want to see the entire workflow as implemented by the New York Times there is a great documentary about it. [VIDEO] The documentary covers the last day that the NYT used a metal/linotype press and talks through the entire process that happened from newsroom to printing. It is a truly interesting way to spend 28 minutes.

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ginko · 2026-07 · Recommendation

>It has the last master plate, and some photos of how it all looked on the last day. There is a photo of a technician sweeping up on presumably the last day before the plant was shut down. He looked distraught There's a pretty good documentary showing the last day of linotype typesetting at the New York Times. [VIDEO]

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pfarrell · 2024-02 · Recommendation

There’s a neat documentary from the late 1970’s, “Farewell etaoin shrdlu”. It’s about the final day the New York Times was printed using their linotype machines. [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by Drinks and Dice, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

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